A typical shoe includes two main portions: a sole; and an upper. The entire portion of the shoe that is located below a wearer's foot is generally called the sole. The portion of the shoe that covers an upper portion of the wearer's foot is generally called the upper. The sole may include a variety of components such as an insole for creating a layer of comfort between the sole and the wearer's foot, a midsole for shock absorption, and an outsole formed from a durable material for contacting the ground. Likewise, the upper may include a variety of components, such as a toe cap that covers the front of the wearer's foot, a vamp that covers the mid-front of the wearer's foot, and a quarter that covers the rear and sides of the wearer's foot. The toe cap, vamp, and quarter may be sewn together separately, or provided as one or more integral pieces, and together may be referred to as the “body” of the shoe.
Depending on the shoe design employed, the shoe may also have a fastening portion disposed adjacent an aperture in the shoe where the wearer inserts the wearer's foot. The fastening portion may include fasteners such as laces, zippers, and hook and loop fasteners. A tongue may be provided, generally when the shoe includes a fastening portion with laces, and may run along a top-center of the shoe between the fastener and the wearer's foot. The location of the fastener and the tongue is generally referred to as the instep of the shoe. The typical shoe may also include a variety of other features for affecting the comfort and overall aesthetics of the shoe such as liners, cushions, heels, toe inserts, and design elements for logos and the like.
It is known to provide a shoe that allows the wearer, and a particularly a child wearer, to attach one or more accessories to the shoe and customize the aesthetics thereof. One type of shoe system is described in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2008/0060110 to Schmelzer et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The Schmelzer et al. shoe system attaches a decorative accessory to a molded shoe through an expandable hole formed in the molded shoe. The decorative accessory has a shoulder configured for insertion through the expandable hole. The shoulder is larger than the expandable hole and secures the decorative accessory to the molded shoe when inserted through the expandable hole.
Further nonlimiting examples of known customizable footwear include U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,470 to Long, which discloses a use of magnets in footwear for holding decorative elements. Barras in U.S. Pat. No. 8,104,198 describes the attachment of a stylized bunny head to footwear using rigid strips. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,085 to Ross, a decorative shoe is shown having a decorative figurine removably attached to the shoe with hook-and-loop or mechanical fixtures. Stassinopoulous in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 20080163514 describes hook-and-loop fasteners for attaching decorative appliqués to shoes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,347 to Tobias shows an attachment of a plush toy to a shoe using shoelaces, hooks, and the like. In U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 20030101625 to Wu, the use of magnets embedded in a shoe for placing a vamp such as letters to an outsole of the shoe is disclosed.
There is a continuing need for footwear that allows a wearer to customize the footwear according to a variety of themes such as animals, movie and cartoon characters, toys, and the like.